Supremely talented soul singer
SUPREMES star MaryWilson knew the exact moment the group had made the big time, simply by a mode of transport.
It was June 1964 and she and bandmates Diana Ross and Florence Ballard had just released their first No. 1, million-selling songWhere Did Our Love Go.
“I remember that instead of going home on the bus, we flew,” she recalled in 2014. “That was our first plane ride.We flew home.We had really hit big.”
After years of struggle, it marked the start of phenomenal success as the band chalked up numerous hits including Baby Love,You Can’t Hurry Love and Stop! In The Name Of Love.
At the height of their fame, America’s all-time most successful vocal group rivalled The Beatles for popularity.As the first all-female group to score a No.1 album with The Supremes A’ Go-Go in 1966, they knocked the Fab Four’s Revolver off the top of the charts.
Wilson remained in the line-up after Ross and Ballard left and it was only when she announced her departure in 1977 that The Supremes disbanded.
Born the eldest child to Sam and Johnnie MaeWilson in Mississippi, she moved with her family to Detroit where she met Ballard.
In high school, Ballard asked Wilson to join The Primettes.
Her mother was mortified when she quit her education to focus on singing but the decision paid off as The Primettes morphed into The Supremes and notched up a dozen chart-toppers.
Wilson later released three solo albums and her autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life As A Supreme, was a New York Times bestseller.
She campaigned for new laws protecting the trademark rights of artists and appeared on US show Dancing With The Stars in 2019.
Divorced from Pedro Ferrer, she is survived by three children. godparents, who died suddenly last November.
The couple’s eldest son William will inherit his father’s title and the family’s 6,000-acre Stowell Park Estate in Gloucestershire.
During his 21 years as Chairman of Cheltenham racecourse, Lord Vestey was instrumental in the growth of the Cheltenham Festival and oversaw the introduction of a fourth day in 2005.
As Master of the Horse from 1999 to 2018, his main duty was to ensure the Queen’s horses and carriages were in good shape.
In 2018 he was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in recognition of his service and abilities.
Trainer Nicky Henderson said: “He was a really great man, enormous fun and everybody was fond of him.”